Rocky Gulch Highlights New Mexico Cup Day

New Mexico-bred hero Rocky Gulch will highlight Sunday's first-ever $1.4 million New Mexico Cup day at Zia Park. The state-bred festival will offer seven stakes races for Thoroughbreds and four for Quarter Horses.

The seven Thoroughbred races offer total purses of $790,000, the richest of which is the $140,000 New Mexico Cup Classic Stakes, where Rocky Gulch will take on seven rivals. The 4-year-old son of Dry Gulch has a career record of 12-2-2, including 10 stakes wins, from 18 career starts. He has earned $684,038.

Trainer Terry Walker will give a leg up to jockey Jorge Martin Bourdieu with the pair breaking from post six as the 4/5 morning-line favorite.

The New Mexico Cup Classic is the first start at Zia Park for Rocky Gulch, who races as a homebred for Hobbs, N.M. resident Larry Teague. The multiple stakes winner enters the race off a third-place finish in the restricted E.T. Springer Stakes at the Downs of Albuquerque Sept. 10.

Zia Park opened its inaugural racing season Sept. 23, with racing continuing through Dec. 4.